Rose: A Timeless Love Story
by SilverDarkwood
Summary: Every story, new or ancient...all are tales of love at heart rated T for language and safety I DON'T OWN DOCTOR WHO OR AIDA read and review, let me know what you think
1. chapter 1, Act 1

**I'm back!!**

Ok, a few things to clear up before you read on:

-The Doctor is Theta

-Jack is Theta's father (humor me)

-Rose, Mickey, Pete, and most of the slaves are Pyrovile

-Theta, Jack, the Lord President, and a few of the slaves are Gallifreyan

-Gallifrey and Pyrovillia are at war with each other

**Other than that, let me know what you think :)**

* * *

"Isn't that an amazing piece of artwork?" a woman asked her companion as they walked around the museum. "I can't believe it survived that long in the sand and the elements."

"I guess its beautiful if you like that sort of thing," her companion replied in a bored tone as they moved to another part of the museum.

I smiled to myself as I walked around, taking in each piece of art, remembering it as it were a thousand years ago.

I made to go over to a display case containing a mannequin in ancient Gallifreyan royal dress when something caught my eye. It was a section of an ancient burial chamber, a tomb used only for nobility and royalty.

I approached it carefully and walked around it. I knew this burial chamber only too well. It was a symbol of a sin I would have to live with for the rest of my life. I looked up to see a young man with unruly brown hair staring at it as well. He circled it before realizing what it was.

_Every story, tale or memoir  
Every saga or romance  
Whether true or fabricated  
Whether planned or happenstance_

_Whether sweeping through the ages  
Casting centuries aside  
Or a hurried brief recital  
Just a thirty minute ride_

_Whether bright or melancholy  
Rough and ready, finely spun  
Whether with a thousand players  
Or a lonely cast of one_

_Every story, new or ancient  
Bagatelle or work of art  
All are tales of human failing  
All are tales of love at heart_

We both stared at the ancient chamber for quite some time, neither of us meeting the other's gaze.

I looked up and stared at the young man, and he stared at me. That's when everything changed.

Our eyes locked as the museum visitors froze in their places and the mannequin in ancient dress came alive and stepped from her display case.

_This is a story  
Of a love that flourished  
In a time of hate_

_Of lovers no tyranny could separate  
Love set into motion on the river's shore  
Destiny ignited by an act of war_

_Gallifrey saw the mighty river as its very heart and soul  
Source of life for all her people  
That only Gallifrey could control  
Destruction of her southern neighbor justified  
Pyrovillia exploited, left with little more than pride_

In a dream-like motion, the museum dissolved and I am back on the barges of Gallifrey. Taken from my home, never to return again…


	2. chapter 2, Act 1

_We have swept to glory, Gallifrey's mastery expands  
From the river's northern delta to the dry dry southern sands  
The more ewe find, the more we see, the more we come to learn  
The more that we explore, the more we shall return_

Fortune favors the brave!!

Its all worked out, my road is clear  
The lines of latitude extend  
Way beyond my wildest dreams  
Towards some great triumphant end  
We seize the day, we turn the tide  
We touched the stars, we mocked the grave  
We moved into uncharted lands

Fortune favors the brave!!

The more we find, the more we see  
The more we come to learn  
The more we that we explore,  
The more we shall return

Nothing is an accident  
We are free to have it all  
We are what we want to be  
Its in ourselves to rise or fall  
This is easy to believe  
When distant places call to me  
Its harder from the palace yard  
Fortune favors the free

Fortune favors the young!!  
Fortune favors the brave!!

"Don't drop that, you buffoon!! It's worth a fortune!!" the young Capitan said as his soldiers loaded their spoils onto the ship. He grinned to himself, taking in the triumph of the spoils of war.

"Move along!! Worthless scum!!" a soldier said from behind him. He turned around to see a soldier shoving a group of frightened women onto the barge.

"Ah, what do we have here?" he asked as he walked over to the group of women.

"We found 'em back on Pyrovillia, Capitan. They were wanderin' around by the river and they tried to get away after one of us spotted 'em, but we caught 'em," the soldier said, grinning.

"Your planet's at war, yet you go poking your nose around the river's edge, trying to get a better look at what's happening to your planet? You must have a burning desire to see the world. Put this wench in chains," he said to me as he walked away from the women and I. "Did you finish that map?"

"Yes sir," the soldier replied, producing the map.

"Excelle- wait a minute. This is all wrong. From the observation deck, it looked like it curved more to the south, like this," the Capitan said, retracing the path so that it was accurate.

"Hey, you wench!! Give that back!!" a drunken sailor shouted as I snatched his sword from him and pointed it at another.

"Release them!!" I said, pressing the blade to the captive soldier's neck.

The young Capitan set the map down and walked over to me, his hand out.

"Hand it over. Now!!" he barked.

"You took us from Pyrovillia…and now, you say we 'belong' to you, right?" I asked, the sword still pressed against the soldier's neck.

"Yes."

"Well, I took this soldier from your ranks. So, according to your own logic, he now belongs to me. Now, I demand you let them go!!"

The Capitan said nothing, but smiled and motioned to the women. Taking the Capitan's hint, the soldiers grabbed them from behind and put their own swords to their hostages' neck. I set the stolen sword down in defeat and pushed the soldier away.

"Throw her in the brig," he snapped as he snatched his sword from the barge.

"No," the Capitan said, grinning. "I have a better use for her." He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down the steps to the ship's lower quarters.


	3. Chapter 3, Act 1

"No!!" I said, putting up my hands in defense.

"What? You don't want me to remove your shackles?" the Capitan asked me.

"Oh. Yes," I replied holding out my hands for the young Capitan.

"That little stunt up there was very impressive," he said as he tossed my shackles aside, grinning. "I should enlist you in my army. Make you a Lieutenant."

"Are you mocking me, Capitan?" I asked him, rubbing my wrists where the shackles cut me.

"No. I'm admiring you," he said as he dropped his military jacket and affects on the floor and sitting down on a stool in front of me. "Do you know why I brought you down here? You're going to wash the stink of battle from my skin. It's been quite a while since I've felt clean."

I picked up the sopping sponge and started scrubbing his back fiercely, making him wince.

"You're much better with a sword than you are with a sponge."

"I wish I had a sword now," I mumbled as I washed his back.

"There's mine. Help yourself to it," he said, grinning. "Who taught you to use a deadly weapon?"

"My father," I mumbled.

"Because he knows Pyrovile men can't protect their women?" he said.

I stopped, the sopping sponge still in my hand.

"You're not finished yet," he said.

"Oh, yes I am."

"ON YOUR KNEES!!" he bellowed as he stood up and whirled around, sending the stool flying. "YOU ENJOY LIVING DANGEROUSLY, DON'T YOU?!"

"JUST AS MUCH AS I ENJOY WASHING YOUR DISGUSTING GALLIFREYAN SKIN!!" I bellowed back, throwing the sponge against the wall.

"YOU!!"

NO!! _You know nothing about me and care even less  
How could you understand our emptiness  
You've plundered our wisdom, our knowledge, our wealth  
In bleeding us dry  
You long for our spirit  
But that you will never possess_

The past is now another land  
Far beyond my reach  
Invaded by insidious  
Foreign bodies, foreign speech  
Where timeless joys of childhood  
Lie broken on the beach

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"Rose."

"Sir, we're getting ready to dock!!" said a sailor from the top of the stairs.

The young Capitan bent to pick up the shackles he deposited on the floor earlier and forced them back on my wrists.

"No!! Please, leave them off!!" I pleaded.

"You're a slave now. And if you wish to survive, you'd better remember that," he said.


	4. Chapter 4, Act 1

_The present is an empty space  
Between the good and bad  
A moment leading nowhere  
Too pointless to be sad  
But time enough to lay to waste  
Every certainty I had_

_The future is a barren world  
From which I can't return  
Both heartless and material  
Its wretched spoils not my concern  
Shining like an evil sun  
As my childhood treasures burn  
Shining like an evil sun  
As my childhood treasures burn_

"Psst, Mickey!! Mickey!!" a man hissed, motioning him over to the edge of the docks. "You have it?"

"Do you have the gold?"

"Mickey!!"

"Master! I'm so glad you made it home safely," he said as the other man ran off.

"Have you kept things in order while I was gone?" the young Capitan asked.

"Yes, everything is in order…although, a few barrels of your best wine have gone missing."

"Not again?" the Capitan groaned.

"Yes…again," said Mickey, nodding his head.

"Ah, here you are, my son. Home at last!! Step aside Mickey," Chief Minister Jack growled as he and his ministers pushed passed Mickey.

"Oh yes, Chief Minister Jack. Beloved by the people, the Osirans, and himself," said Mickey, mockingly bowing out of Jack's way.

"You be careful, boy, or I'll have you-"

"It's great to see you, father," said the young Capitan, stepping between the two bickering men.

"You were gone for a long time, Theta. I was beginning to worry. You weren't injured in battle, were you?" Jack asked his son.

"No, I've returned unscathed."

"I kept telling the princess no one could beat you with a sword, but she wouldn't listen. Nearly worried herself into a tizzy, she did," he said, rolling his eyes.

"No one got the better of me, though a woman might have."

"Really?" Jack asked, surprised.

"That's not important. Listen, beyond the planet Nefrin, lies a direct path to the planet Pyrovillia."

"Then we can take the planet by surprise…excellent. Did you record the landscape?"

"Are you kidding? With the maps we made, an illiterate buffoon could make his way through Pyrovillia."

"And, you brought home captives. Excellent," Jack said, grinning as he noticed the group of women guarded by soldiers. "Take them down to the mines. We can't seem to keep anyone alive down there."

"Wait!!" Theta said as the soldiers herded the women and I out of the Chief Minister's chambers. "Not her. She's going to be a gift for the princess," he explained to Jack as he took me from the group.

"Indeed. She'll be expecting something from your latest journey," Jack said.

"Take the lot to the groundskeepers. They can help the others with the harvest," he said, addressing the soldiers.

"They're all women, father, they wouldn't last a day in the mines."

"As you wish. They're your slaves to do with as you please," said Jack, turning to converse with his ministers.

"Thank you," I said to him.

"Give me your hands, Rose," he said.

"Y-your name's Rose?!" Mickey gasped in shock.

"Mickey, be quiet!!" he snapped as he turned his attention back to me. "I'm going to remove these for you. Just know that if you try to escape, I'll go after you myself."

"You flatter me, Capitan. You don't seem like the sort of man that would chase after women."

"The only exception to that is you. Mickey, take her to Princess Martha with my blessings," said Theta, clearly a dismissal.

"Yes, sir," said Mickey, as he and I turned to leave the Minister's chamber.

"You've been gone for so long, Theta, I really think a well groomed personal appearance is in order," Jack insisted to his son.

"All in good time, father. Though both you and the princess should know that as soon as my soldiers are rested, I'm setting off again."

"You can't!! Theta, Gallifrey needs you now more than ever!! The Lord President isn't the powerful leader he was when you left.

_While you've been away cavorting  
Matters here have moved apace  
Now I need you home supporting  
All the plans I've put in place_

_First of all this means your wedding  
You'll recall your future bride  
For the way that Lord President's heading  
Time's no longer on our side_

_According to the Osirans,  
Our most regal invalid  
Is not that much longer for us  
Build another citadel!_

"What do you mean the Lord President's not as powerful as he was when I left? Is he ill? Is it serious?"

"I'm afraid he is ill, and it is indeed serious," Jack said grimly.

"I have to go and see him."

"That will bring him some comfort. I shall see you at the banquet, my son."

Theta nodded and left his father's chambers as Jack turned back to his ministers.

_There are many who'll be tearful  
As our leader fades away  
But our architects are cheerful  
And each dog must have its day_

_If our planet is to flourish,  
Then my son must take the lead  
Be our inspiration, nourish  
All our hopes, our dreams, our creed_

_Soon our monarch will have filled a  
Tomb just like his fathers did  
Summon Gallifrey's greatest builders  
Re: another citadel_

_We'll extend fair Gallifrey's power  
Gallifrey's glory, strength, and style  
We shall have our finest hour  
Far beyond the Eye of Harmony_

_He must have a vault that's grand by  
Any standards, floor to lid  
Put five thousand slaves on stand by  
Build another citadel!_

"Did you extract more Aspirin like I told you to?" Jack asked one of his ministers.

"Who would have thought the olivine mines would have such a great supply of aspirin? Put a little bit in the Lord President's wine tonight at the banquet. Just a few drops though. We don't want him dying…just yet," Jack said as he and his ministers left the chamber.


	5. Chapter 5, Act 1

"There you go. Now you look like a handmaid. At least the Capitan saw you were special," said Mickey as we walked through the halls of the palace.

"What that man sees and understands could be sketched on a tiny piece of rock from the Moon of Poosh," I mumbled furiously.

"That might be true, but Theta did save you and the other women from the olivine mines," Mickey retorted.

"That was surprisingly decent of him," I sighed.

"When I was a boy, Theta saved me from being beaten to death by the guards. He promised that he'd look out for me from that day on, and he's kept that promise," Mickey said.

"Look, I know what you must be thinking…that I'm a traitor and I've become one of them. But you're wrong, I'm still Pyrovile, and I'll always be Pyrovile."

"Of course," I said, smiling.

_Mickey:  
I grew up in your hometown  
At least began to grow  
I hadn't got to my first shave  
before the body blow  
Gallifreyans in the courtyard_

My family in chains  
You witnessed our abduction  
Which possibly explains  
How I know you  
How I know you

Before that fateful morning  
My family enjoyed  
A privileged existence  
For my father was employed  
As advisor to the King no less  
Which surely rings a bell

For as your are his daughter  
You probably can tell  
How I know you  
Yes I know you

Rose:  
You know too much and what you say  
Is better left unknown  
And now I'm just a slave, like you  
Our lives our not our own

Mickey:  
I never have abandoned  
And nor I think could you  
That spark of hope for freedom  
No terror can subdue

Rose:  
My only hope is silence  
You've never seen my face

Mickey:  
No you remain a princess  
In any time or place

Rose:  
You don't know me

Mickey:  
Yes, I know you

Rose:  
You don't know me

_Mickey:  
How I know you  
How I know you_

"Your Highness," Mickey said, bowing.

"No!! Mickey, you've got to treat me as any other slave in this place. If the Gallifreyans knew I was the daughter of the Pyrovile king…"

"They'd kill you. But our people…we can keep your secret!!" Mickey said.

"No!! You can't tell anyone who I am!! From this moment on, I'm nothing more than a gift from a Gallifreyan Capitan to his princess," I sighed.

"For your information, Martha is more than that to Theta. She's his fiancée," Mickey said, leaning against a pillar.

"When's he suppose to be married?" I asked.

"The day his ship is destroyed and the royal builders protest against building another. Let's get you to the princess," Mickey said as we walked on.﻿


	6. Chapter 6, Act 1

"It's such a pain maintaining perfection," said Martha as she entered the bath, her ladies in waiting following close behind. "But its worth the effort, don't you think?"

"Oh yes!!"

"It's definitely worth it!!"

"You're perfect!!"

"Really? Perfect? If I'm so perfect, maybe one of you can explain to me why Theta, the man chosen by the Great Osirans to be my one and only is neglecting me? He's gone to see my father. I hear he's been to see his father. I bet he's probably chumming it up with every withered old man on the face of the planet. Clearly, the thought of visiting a ripe, young princess leaves him cold."

"Princess Martha: first in wisdom, beauty, and accessories. Capitan Theta hasn't forgotten you. He knows that you'll be at the banquet tonight dressed in your finest gown, and he can hardly wait to see you. But for now, he sends this gift to you," said Mickey, bowing low at Martha's feet.

"Another handmaid?! I don't need another handmaid!!" Martha snapped in disgust.

"Does this gift have a name?"

"Rose."

The bath went silent.

"Did you just speak?" Martha snapped again.

"My name is Rose, princess. And I thought you'd like to kn-"

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" Martha shrieked. "You don't tremble. You don't avert your eyes. Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Would you be happier if I was?"

"No."

"Then I'm only doing as you wish."

"That's true. You were saying something ab-"

"Capitan Theta."

"What do you know about him?" Martha asked, completely forgetting the audience behind her.

"I only know that he's doing well. He wasn't injured in battle, and he came home completely unscathed."

"I did!! I was so…you're very confident, aren't you, Rose?"

"Occasionally. My true talent is with a needle. If you would allow me, your grace, I will make you a gown in a shade close to that of your eyes. There's a dyeing process that we use on Pyrovillia that makes fabrics glow."

Again the room fell silent. The ladies in waiting stepped back several steps, waiting for Martha to explode.

"A slave that knows her fabrics?! I'm keeping this one!! Theta knows me, he really really knows me!! Go on Mickey, show Rose the sewing room," said Martha, a clear dismissal.

_In life, one has to face a huge assortment  
Of nauseating fads and good advice  
There's health and fitness  
Diet and deportment_

_And other pointless forms of sacrifice  
Conversation? Wit? I am a doubter  
Manners? Charm?  
They're no way to impress  
So forget the inner me , observe the outer  
I am what I wear and how I dress_

_Oh now I believe in looking  
Like my time on earth is cooking  
Whether polka dotted  
Striped or even checked  
With the some glamour guaranteeing  
Every fiber on of my being  
Is displayed to quite remarkable effect_

_From your cradle via trousseau Ah  
To your deathbed you're on view, so Ah  
Never compromise, accept no substitute Ah  
I would rather wear a barrel Ah  
Than conservative apparel Ah  
For my dress has always been Ah_

_My strongest suit  
Overwear  
Underwear  
Anytime  
Anywhere_

_Staying in or hitting town wards  
From the top and working downwards  
I ensure that every stitch_

_Whether wig or hat or turban Is stitched in time  
Whether clad boudoir or urban  
Not to strut your stuff  
Outrageously is a crime  
And the few who are invited  
To my wardrobe are delighted  
As they wander through my things  
To find en route_

_Ooh negligee  
That in negligee or formal  
Ooh anything but normal  
I am anything but normal  
Ooh ah_

_For my dress has always been  
Overwear, underwear  
My strongest suit  
Anytime, anywhere  
Overwear, underwear_

_I said anytime Anytime_

_So bring me all my finest  
Most audacious, my divinest  
Most revealing  
Most expensive and to boot  
Most arresting_

_Dress has always been  
My strongest suit_

"Now, let's get ready for the banquet," Martha said as she and her ladies in waiting left the bath.


	7. Chapter 7, Act 1

Mickey was poking around the Lord President's banquet hall when Theta came running, out of breath.

"Mickey!! There you are!! Was the princess pleased with my gift?" Theta asked.

"Oh yes. Rose made herself indispensable in record time," Mickey said, grinning.

"I'm not surprised. Did she tell you anything about herself? Because I've never met a woman quite like her before and I couldn't help but wonder if-"

"No!!! Nothing!! She didn't say anything!!" Mickey said loudly as he ran from the banquet hall. Theta sighed and followed Mickey quickly.

"I keep telling you not to run around barefoot!!" Sarah-Jane told her son Luke as they entered the deserted banquet hall with table clothes in their arms.

"I'll remember that for next time, mum, I promise," Luke said as he helped his mother and a few other servants set the table.

They finished setting the table in record timing and stepped out of the way as the Lord President made his way to the head of the table, looking gravely ill.

Soon after, Chief Minister Jack entered followed closely by his ministers. The last to enter the banquet hall was Theta with Martha clutching his arm.

"You look lovely this evening," he said as they sat down.

"Thank you," Martha said, tucking in.

"Is this the newest fashion?"

"It is now. So, I hear your expedition went well. Where did you go this time?" she asked.

"No where special. We were farther than Pyrovillia where no Gallifreyan has ever set foot," he replied as palace servants poured wine into their glasses.

"That sounds very…lovely. Maybe next time I can go with you."

"If you'd like to, princess. We sleep in cramped quarters, live on tiny rations of Moon bread, and last time the water was so tainted, we were vomiting for days," he said as he took a sip of wine.

"On second thought, maybe I'd be better off staying at the palace," Martha said, slightly disgusted.

I was busy serving wine when one of the palace servants whispered in my ear, "Princess, word of your arrival to Gallifrey has spread through the Pyrovile camps."

As the servant moved away, another approached me, whispering, "Your people are very eager to see you. Welcome, welcome!!"

The servant took her place once more. I turned around and glared at Mickey, who had been standing behind the Lord President. "What have you done?!" I mouthed to him.

I shook my head and continued to pour wine. Mickey made his way around the table until he was right behind me.

I took my place with the other servants. "Mickey!! Why did you tell them?! I swore you to secrecy!!" I hissed.

"I've only told one person!! Besides, your people need to know!!" Mickey hissed back.

"Capitan Theta, to successful expedition. Thanks to you, your crew, the routes we've discovered, Gallifrey will be able to attack Pyrovillia with overwhelming force!! The Osirans willing, this long and tedious war will soon end with Gallifrey's complete and final victory," said the Lord President raising his glass. "Martha, shall I continue on?"

"Whatever you wish to do, father," Martha replied.

"Theta, you came to me earlier this evening with a request to set off on another journey. I, however, have a more important quest for you. Despite the fact that it means you will never leave Gallifreyan soil again, I believe this will be a very joyous task. A task I would only trust to a man long regarded as one of my own family."

"It's been an honor to serve you, your highness," Theta said, nodding his head.

"As all of you know, Capitan Theta and my daughter have been engaged for nine years now. Long enough, I say!!" the Lord President said as the banquet hall filled with laughter.

"My dearest daughter, I want you and our nation to be happily settled before I leave the world of the living. So, in seven days time, Theta, son of Jack will wed the Princess Martha. The Son of the Osirans has spoken." The Lord President finished his speech as the hall filled with applause.

"Thank you father," Martha said as she beamed. Her father nodded to her, turning away to cough.

"Your highness!!" Mickey said loudly as the Lord President began coughing up blood. He was rushed from the hall by his personal servants, quickly followed by Martha and Mickey.

"A toast to the groom. If I'd have known such a gangly, awkward little girl could turn into such a stunning young beauty, I'd have married her myself," Jack said as he took another sip from his glass of wine.

"It's not too late, you know," Theta mumbled.

"What's wrong with you? I thought you loved Martha?" Jack asked, slightly shocked by his son's comment.

"Of course I do!! We grew up together."

"Then what's wrong with you? Theta, I've spent years working towards this grand day. You are not going to ruin this for me…or for yourself!!" Jack snarled as he left the chamber.

"Welcome to your new life…son."

_Nothing is an accident  
We are free to have it all  
We are what we want to be  
Its in ourselves to rise or fall  
This is easy to believe  
When distant places call to me  
Its harder from the palace yard  
Fortune favors the free_

"Wait!! Stay!!" he said as I turned to leave.

"Yes, Capitan? Did you need something?" I asked timidly.

"Where are you from?"

"Xida…it's a small village on the planet Pyrovillia."

"…on the planet Pyrovillia. The sky is a completely different color there," Theta said.

"No, it's a completely different color here," I mumbled.

"Fair enough."

"My father and I used to spent days traveling the skies. He'd let me choose where to go. Sometimes, I'd stop at a deserted planet and spent hours just wandering around, taking its beauty."

"Did you ever travel past the Moon of Poosh?"

"No. My father thought that, since Poosh was so close to Gallifrey, it would be too dangerous of a place to take me."

"But there are no Gallifreyans past the Moon of Poosh. Only tiny grassy planets that are completely uninhabited. The skies are so different there. On Gallifrey, its direct and harsh, but there it shimmers. It's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen," Theta sighed.

"Of course its beautiful. It's Pyrovillia. I would like to see that part of my planet," I said with a look of longing on my face.

_Theta:  
To fly away to half discovered places  
To see the secrets so few eyes have seen  
To see moments of enchantment on our faces  
The moments when we smile and those in between_

"Are you talking about Pyrovillia now?" I asked him.

"In a way, I suppose I am," Theta replied.

_Rose:  
If I could leave this place then I'd be sailing  
To corners of my land where there would be  
Sweet southern winds of liberty prevailing  
The beauty so majestic and so free_

"One day I will take you exploring with me. Where ever your heart takes us. You can be my guide," Theta said.

"Would you let me fly your ship?" I asked him.

"Would you dock us on a random planet?"

"Oh yes!! Where ever there are no people. I'd run onto the land, kick off my sandals, and run. And there'd be no one there to tell me to behave like a…to behave," I said, catching myself.  
_  
Theta:  
There'd be no ties of time and space to bind me_

Rose:  
And no horizon I could not pursue

Theta  
I'd leave the world's misfortunes far behind me

Rose:  
I'd put my faith and trusting in something new

**Theta and Rose:  
But why should I tell you this**

Rose:  
A stranger I just met

Theta:  
A woman whom I hardly know at all and should forget

_**Theta and Rose:  
A journey we can only dream of  
Enchantment passing through  
And how is it I say these things  
So easily to you**_

"What am I thinking?! I'll never take you exploring with me!! I'm never going to leave Gallifrey again!! Instead, I'll sit on my throne and send other people out on exploration missions!!" Theta said, shaking his head as he stared at me.

"You sound like you're the one that's been enslaved!!" I said, my voice growing louder.

"Maybe not with chains. But with a stupid marriage promise!!" Theta shouted. "What's that for?!"

"To dry the tears coming from my eyes!! Forced to marry a princess?! What a harsh life you have!! I have an idea: why don't you travel to some distant planet where people have been living for centuries and say that you've 'discovered them.' But instead, you're being forced onto the Lord President's throne!! What a great tragedy," I said sarcastically, pretending to wipe my eyes with my scarf.

"You've gone too far!!"

"No!! You're the one that's gone too far!! If you don't like your fate, change it!! You are your own master, there are no shackles on you!! So don't expect any pity or understanding from this humble palace slave!!" I shouted as I stormed out of the banquet hall.

"STOP!! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!!" Theta bellowed at my back.

_Theta  
But why did I tell her this?  
A stranger I've just met  
A woman who I hardly know at all and will forget  
Anonymous and gone tomorrow  
Enchantment passing through  
And all I've done is tell her things  
she already knew  
She knew ...She knew.._.


	8. Chapter 8, Act 1

"Here…let me," I said gently.

Martha handed my her brush and sat back as I brushed her hair.

"How's your father?" I asked.

"I just don't understand. This illness of his came on so suddenly. Weeks ago, he was healthy as a horse. The royal physicians have no idea what's wrong with him either," Martha said grimly. "Well, wasn't that a magnificent feast?" Good, a lighter subject.

"Yes it was, your highness," I replied.

"There's still so much to be ready for the wedding. From the bronze statues of me, to the centerpieces of wildflowers and lilies to look like…me."

"It must be very difficult for you," I said.

"Planning a wedding?"

"No, being a princess."

"You have no idea. The responsibilities are…very overwhelming."

"Your must people expect so much from you."

"They expect a miracle worker, and I'm just…"

"Human."

"Exactly."

_Martha:  
I may leave a great impression  
As I race through a succession  
Of the latest crazes, chase the newest fad  
I feel better when beguiling  
Find that fashion keeps me smiling  
But in my heart I know it's rather sad_

Rose:  
That a life of great potential  
Is dismissed, inconsequential

Martha:  
And only ever seen as being cute  
So I'll flutter to deceive

Rose:  
Oh no you must believe  
That one day you're bound to find

**Rose and Martha:  
A Stronger Suit**

"Theta!! This is my bedchamber. You can't just…you're not supposed to…you know you shouldn't be…Rose, leave," Martha stammered as Theta came bursting into her bedchamber.

"No, Rose, stay. Pour the princess a glass of wine," Theta said.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Capitan? You know its not necessary!!" Martha said, giggling.

"Is that your bed in there?" Theta asked, pointing to an adjacent chamber.

"Covered in silk and plump with feathers."

"Go in and I'll be there in a moment," Theta said.

"Theta, are you sure?! We're going to be married in a week," Martha said, slightly shocked.

"Martha, my love. We've been married for nine years," Theta reminded her.

"You have a point," Martha said, jumping up and skipping into her bedchamber.

"Did you think you could get away with talking to me like that?! Don't forget that I could have you dragged away to the olivine mines!!" Theta hissed when Martha was out of sight.

"Don't forget that I'm her property now, not yours!!" I hissed back.

"None of it matters anyway…because I know now that you were right after all," Theta sighed as he stared at my bewildered look. "What?"

"I'm just shocked. Even in enlightened Pyrovillia, one never hears a man admit that he's wrong," I said.

"Theta, I'm ready," Martha called.

"I'll be right there, my love. Rose, I was wrong. I've been very selfish. If the Lord President doesn't recover, Gallifrey is going to need a new leader. A strong leader. And I don't think that's Martha," Theta said.

"Theta, come and claim your kingdom!!" Martha called from her bedchamber.

"She's waiting for you. You should go to her," I said, trying to change the subject.

"Were you a noblewoman before you were captured?" Theta asked.

"Does it matter? There's nothing noble about me now," I mumbled.

"It does matter. You're very noble…courageous…and brave. There aren't very many of us that dare to speak so openly and honestly. And considering you're a slave-"

"Yes, we can't leave out the fact that I'm a slave," I said, staring at that floor.

"I can't go back in time and fix the past, Rose. Besides even if I could…I'm not sure I'd want to. Rose, I-"

"Theta!!" Martha said, storming into her dressing room, pushing me out of her way.

"You barged into my bedchamber uninvited, waging a full frontal assault, so to speak…and now, you're stalling!! Why?!" Martha asked, pulling up the bed sheet she had wrapped around herself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I wa-"

"There's a buck naked princess lounging in her bed, calling your name!! What exactly didn't you realize? Before our wedding night, pack up some of that Moon bread and have the royal cartographer draw you a map of the female body, Capitan. Maybe then you'd be inclined to come explore," Martha said, staring at the young Capitan.

He said nothing and left her bedchamber, leaving Martha stunned.

"Was it something I could have said?! When we were children, we understood each other so well. Now he's a mystery to me," Martha sighed as she went to her bedchamber and shut the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.


	9. Chapter 9, Act 1

"Ah, Rose, there you are. Will you come with me a minute?" Mickey asked when he at long last found me sitting under a tree in the palace garden.

"Where?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"The Pyrovile camp."

I stood up and started to walk away before Mickey caught up to me.

"Look, everyone knows I'm the go-to person when you need something. And our people…they've asked me to bring them…you," Mickey said.

"Why do they want to see me? So they can see the stupid fool that got them captured? Mickey, that is what I am. My father told me not to leave the boundaries of our village. I took Donna and the other women with me to the river and that's where the Gallifreyans captured us. I deserve this," I said, shaking my head, blinking tears away.

"Our people deserve someone who can put their peoples' needs ahead of their own. That clearly isn't me."

"Rose, the Pyroviles want their princess," Mickey whispered as we arrived at the gates to the camp.

_Rose:  
It's knowing what they want of me that scares me  
It's knowing having followed that I must lead  
It's knowing that each person there compares me  
To those in my past whom I now succeed  
But how can whatever I do for them now  
Be enough  
Be enough_

_**Pyroviles  
Rose! Rose!  
All we ask of you  
Is a lifetime of service, wisdom, courage  
To ask more would be selfish  
But nothing less will do  
Rose! Rose**_!

The Pyrovile slaves held out a robe made of scrap cloth before me as Donna approaches me.

_Donna:  
You robe should be golden, your robe should be perfect  
Instead of this ragged concoction of thread  
But may you be moved by its desperate beauty  
To give us new life for we'd rather be dead  
Then live in the squalor and shame of the slave  
To the dance!  
To the dance!_

**_Pyroviles:  
Rose! Rose!  
All we ask of you_**

All we ask is a lifetime of  
Service, wisdom, courage  
To ask more would be selfish  
But nothing less will do  
Rose! Rose!

Pyroviles:  
Rose! Rose!  
Rose! Rose! Rose!

I seized the robe the Pyroviles held out before me and moved towards them. Two men hoisted me onto a pedestal where they bowed down before me, as if they were worshiping me.

_Rose:  
I know expectations are wild and almost  
Beyond my fulfillment but they won't hear  
A word of a doubt or see signs of weakness  
My nigh on impossible duty is clear  
If I can rekindle my ancestors' dreams  
It's enough  
It's enough_

Rose:  
It's enough

The Pyroviles carried me away in a royal display through the camp, celebrating my coming to their rescue.


	10. Chapter 10, Act 1

"You've been watching me. All week you've been watching me," Theta smirked as he watched the women and I wash the linen at the river's edge.

"I have no idea what you mean," I said innocently.

"Do you think you're going to be given freedom just because you've caught my attention? You're stunningly beautiful, but I'm not so easily led," Theta said.

"The only reason I've been watching you is to see if your glass needed filling," I said as I folded a linen towel and put it in the basket.

"I have no glass, yet you look."

"Pardon me, Capitan, but I have linen still to wash."

"I didn't excuse you!! Stop where you are!!" Theta commanded.

I stopped as I was told and turned around to face him.

"You wanted something from me?" I asked.

"Oh yes. I want to make life easier for you, Rose. Tell me how? What can I do for you?" he asked me, looking into my eyes.

"Help my people," I told him.

"I want to help you," he reminded me.

"I am my people!! And I can't bear to see them suffering while I live comfortably in the palace. You want my 'affections' Capitan?"

"I could have your 'affections' right here if I wished. I want to know if you feel anything for me…aside from hatred."

"I…I don't know," I said, stepping back.

"Well, let's find out…" he said as he bent down to kiss me.

"Rose, I just saw-" said Mickey as he skidded to a stop.

We broke a part, both of us blushing like mad.

"Rose, Martha needs your help. The princess. Your fiancée."

_Theta:  
I once knew all the answers  
I stood on certain ground  
A picture of true happiness  
Confidence so effortless  
No brighter could be found_

Mickey:  
Oh No

Theta:  
I never asked the questions  
That trouble me today  
I knew all there was to know  
Love worn lightly  
Put on show

My conquests on display Mickey: I can't believe He's changing

And who'd have thought that Mickey: Oh, no  
Confidence could die?  
Not me , Not me Mickey: Not me, not me  
That all I took for granted was a lie

Not me, Not me  
And who'd have guessed  
I'd throw my world away

To be with someone I'm afraid will say  Mickey: This can never be  
Not me, not me

Theta and Mickey stood in the middle of the market place as vendors sold their crafts and produce.

_Mickey:  
He's in love  
But he's not the only one  
Who'll be changed_

Meanwhile, Martha and I wandered through the market, through row after row of stunning fabrics and fresh produce.

"This would look lovely on you," I said as I held up a piece of midnight blue fabric against Martha's frame. "I'll say this for you Gallifreyans, your thread count is amazing."

"Why hasn't Theta come to see me again? Our wedding is in three days, and, yet…Rose, I've got to make things right with him," Martha said, as she turned to me.

_Rose:  
I shall not envy lovers  
But long for what they share_

Martha:  
An empty room is merciless  
Don't be surprised if I confess  
I need some comfort there

Rose and Martha:  
And who'd have thought  
That love could be so good?  
Not me, not me  
And show me things I never understood  
Not me, not me

"Rose!!"

"Donna, where did you get that?!" I asked as Donna ran past me, her arms full of fruit and new bedding.

"The Gallifreyan Capitan!! He's giving away everything he owns!! And he's giving it all to us!!" she said as she ran off.

I turned to look at Martha, and she turned to look at me in surprise.

_Who'd have guessed he'd  
Throw his world away  
To be with someone till his dying day  
Not me, not me_

_Theta, Rose, and Martha:  
And who'd have thought that love  
Could be so good  
Not me, not me Mickey: Not me, not me  
My/his secrets &  
My/his passions understood  
Not me, not me Mickey: Not me, not me_

Who'd have guessed  
I'd/ he throw My/his world away  
To be with someone till my/his dying day  
Not me/not me Mickey: This can never be

"Look at that!! He's preparing to move into the palace!! So whatever doubts he had the other night must be gone!!" Martha said as she turned to leave. "Stay, Rose. Apologize for me."

"No, I-I can't," I said.

"But you can!! You always say the right things!! I never do."

"Please, princess, don't make me," I pleaded.

"I'd never make you do anything. But I'm asking you…as my friend," she said as she left me.

"Thank you," I said as soon as Martha was out of sight.

"It was nothing… Actually, it was everything, but that doesn't matter now," he said as he set a ragged blanket on the ground between us.

"Capitan, I came to tell you that the princess is sorry for what happened the other night. And she wants you to know th-"

"Rose."

"You're engaged to my mistress!!"

"It was arranged by my father, Rose!! And it will be unarranged by me!!"

"You could easily raid another planet tomorrow and rebuild your fortune. Theta, you're a Gallifreyan!! Nothing will ever change that fact!! I don't even know why you're bothering to do this!!" I said, walking away from him, shaking my head.

"Don't you?" he asked.  
_  
Theta:  
We all lead such elaborate lives  
wild ambitions in our sights  
How an affair of the heart survives  
days apart and hurried nights  
Seems quite unbelievable to me  
I don't want to live like that  
seems quite unbelievable to me  
I don't want to love like that  
I just want our time to be  
slower and gentler, wiser, free_

We all live in extravagant times  
playing games we can't all win  
Unintended emotional crimes  
Take some out, take others in

I'm so tired of all were going through  
I don't want to live like that  
I'm so tired of all were going through  
I don't want to love like that  
I just want to be with you  
Now and forever, peaceful, true  
This may not be the moment  
to tell you face to face  
But I could wait forever  
for the perfect time and place

I reached out to caress his face, unable to suppress my feelings for him.

_Rose & Theta:  
We all lead such elaborate lives  
We don't know whose words are true  
Strangers, lovers, husbands, wives  
Hard to know who's loving who_

Rose:  
Too many choices tear us apart  
I don't want to live like that

Theta:  
Too many choices tear us apart  
I don't want to love like that  
I just want to touch your heart  
May this confession

Theta and Rose:  
Be the start

He bent down to kiss me and take me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck as we stood there in an passionate embrace.

He set me down and wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you cold?" he asked me.

"You could have kept a blanket or two for yourself," I said as he wrapped a blanket around me.

"No, I couldn't. Man enters this life without possessions. I want to be a new man for you, Rose. Completely reborn. Cleansed of my past sins," he said as he wrapped his arms around me once more.

"What is it?" I asked him when he looked to the horizon.

"My army has returned, and the Lord President will be expecting me at the victory celebration. Go back to the palace, you'll be safe there," he said as he ran off.

"Wait, take this. If anyone stops you, show this to them, and they'll let you pass," he said, handing me his medallion and kissing me.

"I love you," I said softly.

I covered my mouth with my hand to suppress my giggling.

"I heard that," he said turning around to face me. "Say it again, I command you!!"

He tried prying my hand from my mouth, but all it did was made us laugh.

"Capitan!!" a soldier said, running over to us. Theta steps in front of me, to protect me from the solider.

"I heard the drums. What's the news?" theta asked.

"We captured the Pyrovile king," the soldier said.

"The king?! You captured him alive?!"

"Yes sir."

"Find out who it was, and see to it that they receive the highest honors. Tell the others I'm on my way," he said, dismissing the soldier.

"Yes sir," the soldier said, running off.

"Rose, our planets are at war. I can't change that!!" Theta said when he saw that I had backed away from him in horror.

"But he's my…my king," I said, staring at the ground as Theta ran off.


	11. Chapter 11, Act 1

"Princess, please say its not true!!" Donna pleaded when Mickey and I walked up to the crowd standing by the gates.

"I saw the king dragged through the streets with my own eyes!!"

"I've heard they already executed him!!"

"And they're parading his severed head through the city on the end of a spike!!"

"NO!! That's not possible!!!" I said, shaking my head, refusing to believe what I was hearing.

"Pete is alive!! I saw him being taken to the prison" Mickey said over the crowd.

"But its only a matter of time before the Gallifreyans slaughter him," Donna said in disgust.

"I've always imagined your father riding through the streets of Gallifrey in triumph. But now, we have no hope!! When the king dies, so does Pyrovillia," a woman said turning to her husband for comfort.

"No!! Pyrovillia will never die!! It doesn't matter if we're slaves or if we're far from our native soil, Pyrovillia lives on in our hearts. And therefore, it lives.  
_  
Rose:  
Take me in my dreams recurring  
Cheerful as a childhood dance  
Into one more taste of freedom  
One more longing backward glance_

I could hear a few of the Pyrovile people softly join me in the song we all know so well.

_In the sway of somber music  
I shall never, never understand  
Let me slip into the sweeter  
Chorus of that other land_

The Osirans love Pyrovillia, the beautiful, the golden  
The radiant, the fertile, the gentle and the blessed

The pain of Pyrovillia is only for the moment  
the desolate the suffering  
the plundered, the oppressed

Donna:  
The Osirans love Pyrovillia their glorious creation  
Its songs roll sweetly across the harvest plain

Rose and Donna:  
The tears of Pyrovillia, a passing aberration  
They wash into the river and are never cried again

Rose, Donna, Mickey, and the Pyrovile Women:  
The Osirans love Pyrovillia, we have to keep believing  
The scattered and divided, we are still it's heart

I could hear more and more people joining the song, our voices growing louder and more hopeful with each person.

_Rose:  
The fall of Pyrovillia, ephemeral and fleeting  
The spirit always burning though the flesh is torn apart._

**All:  
The fall of Pyrovillia  
Ephemeral and fleeting  
The spirit always burning  
Though the flesh is torn apart**

Take me in my dreams recurring  
Cheerful as a childhood dance  
Into one more taste of freedom  
One more longing backward glance  
The Osirans love Pyrovillia, the beautiful, the golden  
The radiant, the fertile, the gentle and the blessed  
The pain of Pyrovillia is only for the moment  
the desolate the suffering  
the plundered, the oppressed

The Osirans love Pyrovillia  
we have to keep believing  
Though scattered and divided we are still it's heart  
The fall of Pyrovillia ephemeral and fleeting the spirit always  
Burning though the flesh is torn apart  
The spirit always burning though the flesh is torn apart

Rose:  
Apart

**All:  
Take me in my dreams recurring  
One more longing backward glance**


	12. Chapter 1, Act 2

_Martha:  
It's so strange he doesn't show me  
more affection than he needs  
Almost formal too respectful  
never takes romantic leads  
There are times when I imagine  
I'm not always on his mind  
He's not thinking what I'm thinking  
Always half a step behind  
Always half a step behind_

Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Theta:  
I'm in every kind of trouble  
Can't you tell, just look at me  
Half ecstatic, half dejected  
All in all I'm all at sea  
Easy terms I thought I wanted  
Fill me now with chilling dread  
You could never know the chaos  
Of a life turned on it's head  
Of a life turned on it's head

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Martha and Theta:  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Rose:  
I am certain that I love him  
But a love can be misplaced  
Have I compromised my people  
In my passion and my haste?  
I could be his life companion  
Anywhere but where we are  
Am I leader? Am I traitor?  
Did I take a step too far?

Rose, Martha, and Theta:  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Did I take a step too far!


	13. Chapter 2, Act 2

Under the cover of night, Mickey and I slipped through the city to the jail where my father was being held prisoner.

"A quick word with the prisoner?" Mickey asked the guard standing in front of the cell, a small sack of silver in his hand.

The guard looked around before he snatched it from Mickey's hand, "be quick."

Mickey and I entered the cell. My father was huddled on the floor, his body thin and shaking from the cold.

"Father?" I asked.

He stood up, his face lit up in joy.

"Rose? I knew you'd survive. That I trained you well. I wouldn't have let myself believe anything else," he said as we stood in a loving embrace.

"You look so thin. Have they mistreated you?" I asked him as he stepped back.

"Not yet. I think they're saving it all for my execution. Three days from now," he said grimly.

"It won't come to that!! We're going to get you out of here!!"

"In a few days, the daughter of the Lord President will be wed. most of the guards will be needed to control the crowds," Mickey piped up.

"Who is this Minister of Destruction?"

"That's Mickey, father. You remember? Jackson's son."

"Jackson? Your father was a great scholar. He had hopes you'd follow in his footsteps."

"The chief jailer will be attending the wedding. And they've assigned a dimwitted guard to take his place…a man I know."

"You think you can bribe this man you know?"

"Let's just say he and I have done business in the past."

"That'd take a lot of silver," I piped up, looking at mickey.

"I have it. For years I've been stealing from the palace, in hopes that I'd be able to get back to Pyrovillia again. But if I can send my king home-"

"We're all going home soon Mickey. Now, how are the docks guarded?" father asked.

"By the Capitan's soldiers."

"So the odds are very slim. Can you use a sword boy?"

"Me?! Well, actually, I'm better at cheering from the sidelines," Mickey said sheepishly.

"A fight won't be necessary. They'll let us through," I said, pulling out Theta's medallion.

"Capitan Theta gave you that?" Mickey asked me.

"Who's this Capitan? A Gallifreyan?!" father snapped.

"Yes. But he's not like the others, father!!" I said, seeing the look on his face.

"He leads the Lord President's armies, but he didn't leave our planet in ruins like the others?!" father asked.

"He regrets his past fa-"

"ROSE!! Don't shame yourself and me with such worthless sentiment!! don't tell me this Gallifreyan sheds tears of grief for slaughtered Pyrovile men, the ravaged women, and the children they took as slaves!! Any soft look you've given this Capitan, any gentle word, betrays the innocent people that have suffered at his hands and the hands of every worthless soldier he commands. You will tear him out of your heart," father said, his face disgusted.

"Yes, father," I said softly, the medallion still in my hand.

"I wouldn't have imagined it possible that the Gallifreyans would give me another reason to hate them," father said before turning to Mickey to discuss the escape plans.

_Rose:  
This is the moment when the gods expect me  
To beg for help but I won't even try  
I want nothing in this world but myself to protect me  
But I won't lie down, roll over and die  
All I have to do is to forget how much I love him  
All I have to do is put my longing to one side  
Tell myself that love's an ever-changing situation  
Passion would have cooled and all the magic would have died  
It's easy, it's easy_

All I have to do is to pretend I never knew him  
On those very rare occasions when he steals into my heart  
Better to have lost him when the ties were barely binding  
Better the contempt of the familiar cannot start  
It's easy, It's easy

Until I think about him as he was when I last touched him  
And how he would have been were I to be with him today  
Those very rare occasions don't let up they keep on coming  
All I ever wanted and I'm throwing it away  
It's easy, it's easy as life

But then I saw the faces of a worn , defeated people  
A father and a nation who won't let a coward run  
is this how the gods reward the faithful through the ages ?  
Forcing us to prove the hardest thing we've done

Are easy  
So easy

And though I'll think about him till the earth draws in around me  
And though I choose to leave him for another kind of love  
There is no denial, no betrayal but redemption  
Redeemed in my own eyes and in the pantheon above

It's easy

It's easy as life


	14. Chapter 3, Act 2

"But why did we invade Abydos?" Martha asked as the ministers tracked previous expeditions.

"Because, once we have control of the trade routes, the rest of the universe opens up to us," Jack said.

"Yes, but our Gallifreyan army just stormed in and seized power? How barbaric," Martha said, shaking her head.

"Perhaps, princess. But where do you think that necklace of your came from?" Jack asked, pointing to her necklace.

Martha looked down at the precious stone hanging around her neck. "Suddenly its not so beautiful," she said, taking it off and setting it on the table in disgust.

"You summoned me, father?" Theta asked as he closed the door to the war room behind him. "Princess."

"I've been explaining our expeditions to Martha," Jack said as he studied a map.

"Really?"

"Yes. Simply because she was wondering what's keeping you from her lately," Jack said as Martha took Theta's hand.

"Theta, my love. I feel as though we haven't had a moment's peace since your return from Pyrovillia. I miss you. Can't we spend this afternoon together?" she asked, massaging his hand.

"Of course we can, my darling. But I would like a word with my father first. You can read this while you wait," he said as he handed her a folded map.

"'The Campaign at Arroyos.'"

"It'll give us something to talk about," Theta said, grinning.

"I never realized we were so lost for topics. Then again, there's a lot I haven't realized," she sighed as she left.

"That was cleaver of you," Theta hissed as soon as Martha was out of sight.

"What? I can't have you neglecting the girl. Not after all the trouble I've gone to!!" Jack hissed back.

"What trouble?! You arranged an unwanted marriage!!" Theta snapped.

"There have been other arrangements!! Things I've done on your behalf!!"

"I've never asked you to do anything for me!!" Theta said, his voice echoing through the war room.

"No, you're right. You haven't, because you've been spending all your free time with that damn slave girl!!"

"Ah. I see you've been spying on me," Theta said as he moved away from his father.

"Theta, you can have your diversions, but wait until you're married!!" Jack said, as he walked over to his son.

"Like you did?" Theta said in disgust.

"Your mother never complained!!" Jack said loudly.

"She didn't have a choice!!" Theta shouted.

"DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT WHORE COULD COST YOU THE LORD PRESIDENT'S THRONE?!" Jack bellowed.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DAMN THRONE FATHER!! THAT'S BECAUSE I'M NOT LIKE YOU AND I NEVER WILL BE!!" Theta bellowed back.  
_  
Jack:  
Don't come on so cocksure boy, you can't escape your genes  
No point in feeling pure boy, your background intervenes  
Listen good and listen straight, you're not the master of your fate  
To this you must be reconciled, you'll always be your father's child  
At times acclaimed, at times reviled  
You'll wind up doing just what I've done  
Like father, like son_

Theta:  
Don't assume your vices get handed down the line  
That a parent's blood suffices to condemn the child's design  
I've done wrong, I can't deny, but at least I know that I  
Shouldn't blame that on my stock, this may come as quite a shock  
I'm no chip off any block, I wouldn't wish those words on anyone  
Like father, like son

Jack:  
Son you're nervous, take my hand  
All is settled, all is planned  
You've got the world at your command  
I don't think you understand

"Are you really going to throw away your future?! All for some wretched slave?!" Jack asked.

"She has a name!!" Theta shouted.

"In a few months, you won't even be able to remember her name!!" Jack shouted.

_Theta:  
I appreciate too well  
The squalor at which you excel  
it isn't very hard to tell  
Evil's a distinctive smell_

"YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT YOUR PLANS FATHER!!! THERE WILL BE NO WEDDING!!" Theta bellowed as he stormed out of his father's chamber, leaving Jack horrified.

_Jack:  
He's lost all sense of reason, and why?  
Some foreign slut  
That is the road called treason,  
Some doors are slamming shut  
Just like me he's found that flesh can excite but will enmesh  
Once we rid him of this blight.  
Once this harlot's out of sight.  
Then I think he'll see the light.  
He won't walk back to daddy he will run.  
Like father, like son.._

"Find the slave girl called Rose. And when you do…kill her," Jack said to his ministers.


	15. Chapter 4, Act 2

_I'm sorry for everything I've said  
And for anything I forgot to say  
When things get so complicated  
I stumble at best muddle through  
I wish that our lives could be simple  
I don't want the world only you_

Oh I wish I could tell you this face to face  
But there's never the time never the place  
So this letter will have to do  
I love you...

"Tomorrow princess, you and your father will be free!!" Mickey said happily as the Pyroviles gathered around me.

"We will live to tell our grandchildren of the king's grand escape!!" Donna said.

"Pyrovillia will prevail!! Quiet!!" Mickey said, shoving me backwards into the crowd as two guards approached us.

"Good evening, fine sirs. What can I do for you?" Mickey asked the two men.

"We're here for the slave girl called Rose. Which one is she?" one guard snapped.

Before I could say anything, one Pyrovile man put his hand over my mouth, preventing me from blowing my cover.

"I'm Rose!!" Donna said, stepping forward.

The two men grabbed her and dragged her away. The Pyroviles waited until the guards were completely out of sight before they let me go.

"Forgive us princess, but you absolutely can't be sacrificed. Anyone of us here would gladly give their lives for Pyrovillia," one man said in my ear.

One by one, the pyroviles went back to their shacks, their heads hung in defeat.

I made to run back to the palace, but Mickey stopped me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

I couldn't bear to look him in the eyes, so I kept going.

"You're going to see him aren't you?!"

"Mickey, I can't ask you to understand. Even I don't understand. I have to see him," I said, my hand on the gate.

"No!!"

"But I have to. I have to see him."

"No!! No!! You can't give yourself to him!! The Gallifreyans have taken enough from us already. Don't let them take you too," Mickey said as I walked through the gate.

"I'm sorry mickey," I said, shutting the gate.

_There is a time  
there is a place  
When love should conquer all  
The rest of life is pushed aside  
as truth and reason fall  
But only if that selfishness  
can lead to something good  
I thought I knew you princess  
But I never understood  
I don't know you  
I don't know you_

"I'm sorry," I said softly as I turned and ran to the palace.


	16. Chapter 5, Act 2

That night, I found Theta pacing in his garden. He stared at me for a minute before pulling me into a passionate embrace.

"Rose!! I thought they-"

"They came for me, but they took someone else instead. I feel so guilty," I said, hanging my head.

"No!! It's my fault!! I put you in danger but I swear it won't happen again. I'm calling off the wedding. I'll build us a house on a deserted planet and we can expl-"

"Oh Theta- No!! you can't!! You can't stop the wedding!!"

"Yes I can and I will!!"

"Theta, I love you, but you have to marry the princess tomorrow. These things you want for us will be impossible. They'll track us down. It's a foolish plan," I said.

"I'll find a way for us to be together."  
_  
Rose:  
I am here to tell you we can never meet again  
Simple really, isn't it, a word or two and then  
A lifetime of not knowing where or how or why or when  
You think of me or speak of me and wonder what befell  
The someone you once loved so long ago so well_

Theta:  
Never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by  
You don't have to ask me and I need not reply  
Every moment of my life from now until I die  
I will think or dream of you and fail to understand  
How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand

Is it written in the stars  
Are we paying for some crime  
Is that all that we are good for  
Just a stretch of mortal time  
For some Osiran's experiment  
In which we have no say  
In which we're given paradise  
But only for a day

"Marry the princess, Theta. You can help my people. This could be our only chance to do something right!! Don't you see?! It may be the whole reason why we met in the first place," I said.

"That'd be a cruel trick!!" Theta said.

"Not if the Osirans put us together for a much greater purpose."

_Rose:  
Nothing can be altered, there is nothing to decide  
No escape, no change of heart, no anyplace to hide_

Theta:  
You are all I'll ever want, but this I am denied  
Sometimes in my darkest thoughts, I wish I'd never learned

Rose & Theta:  
What it is to be in love and have that love returned

Rose:  
Is it written in the stars  
Are we paying for some crime  
Is that all that we are good for  
Just a stretch of mortal time

Rose & Theta  
For some Osiran's experiment  
In which we have no say  
In which we're given paradise  
But only for a day

"Alright, I'll do it. But I want you to do something for me. Go home, leave Gallifrey forever," Theta told me.

"What are you saying?!" I asked staring at him.

"While I'm getting married, there will be a ship waiting for you at the docks to return to Pyrovillia. At least I will have an ounce of happiness knowing that you're free," Theta said, bending down to kiss me passionately.

Theta and I left in the opposite directions.

Martha emerged from the shadows, having heard everything we said.

_Martha:  
How did I come to this?  
How did I slip and fall?  
How did I throw half a lifetime away  
Without any thought at all?_

This should have been my time  
It's over, it never began  
I closed my eyes to so much for so long  
and I no longer can

I try to blame it on fortune  
Some kind of shift in a star  
But I know the truth and it haunts me  
it's flown just a little too far  
I know the truth and it mocks me  
I know the truth and it shocks me  
It's flown just a little too far.

Around her, her handmaidens prepared her for her wedding. Putting the finishing touches on her make-up and her hair; taking out her dress for her to step into.

_Why do I want him still?  
Why when there's nothing there?  
How to go on with the rest of my life  
To pretend I don't care  
This should've been my time  
It's over-It never began  
I closed my eyes to so much for so long  
and I no longer can_

I try to blame it on fortune  
Some kind of twist in my fate  
But I know the truth and it haunts me  
I learned it a little too late

Oh I know the truth and it mocks me  
I know the truth and it shocks me  
I learned it a little too late  
Too late

At this point, Martha is dressed for her wedding, devastated tears rolling down her cheeks.


	17. Chapter 6, Act 2

"As witnessed by the Osirans and all of Gallifrey, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May your lives both be forever filed with joy for this moment," the Lord President said, as the crowd burst into applause.

As theta made to lift Martha's veil, a soldier came bursting in, his face red.

"C-Capitan. The Pyrovile king has escaped!!" the soldier wheezed.

"Theta!! Call your men to arms!!" the Lord President said as the gathered crowd began running about.

"Fan out across the city!!" Theta said to the still-wheezing soldier.

"The fastest way to Pyrovillia is by stepping through the time vortex. Send a unit to search the dock," Jack ordered.

"No!! Seal off the docks!!" Theta ordered, remembering Rose was there.

"But what ab-"

"No one can get to the docks before me!!" Theta said, running off, leaving his bewildered father in the dust.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Princess, we've got to hurry. They've set off the alarm," Mickey said as he lifted my father into a secure place on the ship.

"Theta!!" I said as Theta stormed onto the docks.

"Rose, hurry up!!" father said from his place.

"I'm sorry father, but I need one last moment with him," I said running to Theta.

"Damn it Rose!!" father said.

"Of course!! You're the Pyrovile princess!! And you had me marry Martha just so your king could escape!! I'm such a bloody fool!! It was all a lie, an act!! Every word, every kiss!!" Theta said, his eyes furious.

"No!!! But I've made too many mistakes and too many people have suffered for it. I can't be selfish now!!" I said.

"So you lied to me?!"

"Not when I said I loved you!! Please say you believe me!!"

"She's alive?!" I heard Jack say from the stairs.

He ran down the stairs two at a time and skidded to a stop at Theta's side, the guard at his heels.

"Stay where you are mister!!" Mickey said, holding out a sword.

"Rose!! Come on!!" father said.

"Rose, get on the ship. It's your last chance to go home!!" Theta said as Jack and Mickey fought.

"Not without Mickey!!" I said breathlessly.

"Get out of my way, boy!!" Jack said, stabbing Mickey.

"MICKEY!!" I screamed as he fell to his knees.

I pulled away from Theta and ran to Mickey's side. Theta ran to the ship holding my father and slammed his hand down on the release switch.

"Theta, for the love of Gallifrey, stop them!!" Jack shouted.

"ROSE!!!" father bellowed as the ship took off, taking him back home.

"Theta, what have you done?!" Jack asked, horrified.

"It's all over, father. When they come for me, they'll take you as well," Theta said.

"No… this isn't happening… Gallifrey needs me," Jack said.

"You're the one that tied our fates together, remember? Like father, like son. You should run. Far away from Gallifrey," Theta said as he knelt at my side.

Jack ran from the docks at top speed, desperate to get away.

"Theta, he's…"

"F-forgive me, princess. I failed you," Mickey stammered as he lay in my arms, dying.

"Never. Mickey, you inspired me."

"I w-wanted so badly to go back to Pyrovillia. Rose, take me home," Mickey said with his dying breath.

I sobbed into his chest until Theta stood up, taking me with him. I sobbed into his chest until the soldiers surrounded us.


	18. Chapter 7, Act 2

"Martha, my love, I never meant to hurt you," Theta said as the Lord President entered the Judgment Hall accompanied by his soldiers.

"Theta, if you deny everything, there's a chance they might be able to spare your life. Listen to me!! They want to bury you alive!!" Martha told him.

"That is what we do to traitors on this planet," Theta replied.

"You have to tell them they're wrong and th-"

"No, I can't. Rose is everything I thought I was suppose to be and more. But her courage and her love for her people have put me to shame. Everything I've done in my life has been wrong, except this," Theta said, hanging his head.

"Did you ever love me at all?" Martha asked, looking into his eyes.

"Martha, my love, I've loved you all my life," Theta said as he brushed her cheek. The guard saw him do this and pushed him to his knees. The guard behind me doing the same thing, but with much more force.

"Take your disgusting hands off her!! After all, she is a princess," Martha snapped as she walked over to me.

The guard backed away as I got to my feet.

"Martha, there were so many times that I wanted to tell you everything, but I couldn't," I said.

"No wonder you understood me so well," she said in disgust.

"Martha, you have to believe me. It's my fault for what's happened here, not Theta. Please, let him live. Martha, let him live!!" I pleaded.

"I…can't"

"Yes you can!! Don't you love him?!"

"Yes I-"

"Martha, let's begin," the Lord President said before she could reply.

"Bring the prisoners forth!! Jack has been apprehended, and we have uncovered his plot. Theta, I trusted you and I trusted your father!! Now I will make things right while I still can!!" the Lord President said to Theta.

"The traitors will receive their sentences!!"

The assembly burst into applause.

"Wait!! Father, I have a request," Martha said suddenly, hushing the assembly, making both Theta and I look up.

"What sort of request?" the Lord President asked.

"I know the traitors have to die for what they've done against Gallifrey. This is the law. But I'm going to ask that they be allowed to die together," Martha said to her father, sending a shocked gasp through the assembly.

"That's mercy!! After they disgraced you in front of our entire nation. No!!" the Lord President said in disgust.

"I was wronged, I know, but it should be my decision!!"

"No!! you don't know what you're thinking!! For their crimes the prisoners wi-"

"Your grace, you have poison in your blood!! We all know this. Soon I will be completely alone because the people I love the most are being taken from me!! So, you must let me exercise my will over Gallifrey. Because I'm going to be your successor. And because I demand it!!" Martha said.

The Lord president studied his daughter for a moment, then stepped aside.

"For their crimes, the traitors will be buried beneath the deserts of Gallifrey, in one tomb, together. The Daughter of the Osirans has spoken," Martha said, turning to run from the chamber.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Rose:  
We all lead such elaborate lives  
Wild ambitions in our sights  
How an affair of the heart survives  
Days apart and hurried nights  
Seems quite unbelievable to me  
I don't want to live like that  
Seems quite unbelievable to me  
I don't want to love like that  
I just want our time to be  
Slower and gentler, wiser, free_

We all live in extravagant times  
Playing games  
we all can't win  
Unintended emotional crimes  
take some out take others in

Too many choices tear us apart  
I don't want to live like that  
Too many choices tear us apart  
I don't want to love like that  
I just want to keep your heart  
May this confession be the start

I know you'll give me courage  
to face what I must face  
with all these complications  
in another time and place

Rose & Theta:  
We all lead such elaborate lives  
We don't know whose words are true  
An affair of the heart survives  
All the pain the world can do

Theta:  
I'm so tired of all we're going through  
I don't want to live like that

Rose:  
I'm so tired of all we're going through  
I don't want to love like that  
I just want to be with you  
Now and forever peaceful, true

"It's so dark. I can't see anything, I said.

"Give me your hands, Rose. I'm right here with you. There's another life waiting for us, Rose. I can feel it. Just like I knew there was a world far beyond the borders of Gallifrey. Just waiting to be discovered," Theta said, taking my hands in his.

"Will you find me in that world?" I asked him.

"Even if I have to search a million life times, I'll find you again, Rose. I promise."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Theta:  
There'll be no ties of time and space to bind us_

Rose:  
And no horizon we shall not pursue

Theta & Rose:  
We'll leave the world's misfortunes far behind us  
And I will put my faith and trust in you

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Martha:  
From deep within a tomb  
A gentle light still shone  
Showing me my path  
As I ascended to the throne  
Certain in my heart  
That ancient wars must cease  
The lovers' deaths gave birth  
to a reign of peace_

And their story  
And my journey  
And the lesson they provide  
Draw their strength and inspiration  
from a love that never dies

Martha slowly walked back to her display case, her ladies in waiting following her, holding her crown on a velvet pillow. Once they crowned her, they left the museum.

I came out of my daydream, remembering that I'm still at the Gallifreyan museum.

I walked over to the section of tomb once again, staring at it. The young man from before also walked over to it, circling it. Remembering what it was.

I look up at him, and he looks at me. I walked towards him, and he walked toward me, taking me into a loving embrace.

End


End file.
